Wednesday, September 29, 2010

One of the biggest gifts I've discovered from being stripped to the core of my finances, business and home this year has been to focus on a career path that excites me the most. That path is my passion for movies. All I had to do was recognize that writing this movie blog has kept me energized throughout the challenging 6 months I’ve been through. It has also been of tremendous value to readers around the world.

Through a series of weekly career coaching with several friends and colleagues it was common sense that movie related professionals, companies and opportunities would make themselves visible. All I had to do was focus on my love for presenting and writing about movies. And that's what I did.

Pecha Kucha Night Presentation

Synchronistically, two amazing opportunities came up quickly. First I was recently asked to give a Pecha Kucha Night presentation specifically on movies. These are unique slide presentations of 20 images at 20 seconds each. More than 220 cities around the world host these events. My presentation is called "15 Movies That Saved My Life This Year". More info: Click here

The Toronto Star Article

The second opportunity came when a journalist for The Toronto Star contacted me looking for a movie expert to provide thoughts about Gordon Gekko from the film Wall Street. I was thrilled to have been interviewed and the article was printed within 4 days! He found me because someone who knows about my movie blog recommended me. Read article (bottom of this link): Click here

The movie Julie & Julia is based on two true stories about two women who focus on their passion for food. It also provides exciting proof for being on the right track. Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is one of the stories who writes a blog about making a dish every night for a year from Julia Child's famed recipe book.

During her mission to blog every day she began to build a following of dedicated readers sending her encouragement and feedback. Ultimately she was contacted by The New York Times and later published a best seller based on her blog and, of course, became a successful Hollywood movie.

When you find the courage to choose any career or life path there will always be proof you are on the right track. And when you focus on your passion the universe will always help you recognize the hidden opportunities to turn it into a fulfilling career.

Remember whatever you focus on expands. Let it be a path that excites you!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Mindset definition:
A habitual or characteristic mental attitude that predetermines how you will interpret and respond to situations

The greatest gift I received from my G20 experience was discovering how fearless I was being surrounded by a battalion of riot police. I didn't panic or do anything irrational (see tip#369). And despite feeling trapped with no way out I maintained an attitude of indestructible optimism.

Ten years ago I experienced an early mid-life crisis where my life and career collapsed. Work stopped coming in, I lost my sense of purpose and suffered the death of my father. And yet looking back I recognize that I was actually in training to transform my mindset to remain positive. The training was difficult but over time my self-confidence increased as well as my resilience.

The same training intensified again this year with the collapse of my finances, business and home. Difficult times can help you build positive, proactive attitudes and mindsets. You just have to recognize the secret training you are receiving during times of crisis.

The both versions of The Karate Kid movie demonstrate what it is to receive secret training that is beneficial later on. In the original film Daniel (Ralph Macchio) is told by his karate teacher (Pat Morita) to wax his car in a specific pattern "wax on, wax off". Later Daniel discovers that this repetitive action had trained his muscles and mind for highly effective karate moves.

In the new version of The Karate Kid, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) makes Dre (Jaden Smith) remove his jacket, hang it up, drop to the ground and pick it up again over and over. After many days of doing this and despite Dre's frustration he later discovers he was secretly being trained for powerful Kung Fu actions. When attacked Dre's instincts were now conditioned to take action and instantly protect himself.

Train Your Thoughts

My love for movies keep my spirit energized. Films inspire me to bring out the best in myself. During my G20 experience I maintained a positive mindset while I was: corralled by riot police; being detained in icy cold rain; or nearly suffocating in the police bus (see previous tips below for details). And it was all thanks to my previous life challenges that trained and empowered my current mindset.

Throughout my G20 ordeal I could almost hear Neo from The Matrix cheering me on to stay strong. I could sense Jake Sully from Avatar encouraging me to record everything I was experiencing and tell my story later to inspire others. And by my side I could feel the support of Harry Potter's magic keeping me energized.

In life we've all felt situations where problems seem so hopeless. Only a resilient, proactive mindset can allow you to overcome any obstacle, any pitfall and anything else trying to box you in.

See your challenges as an opportunity to develop new skill sets in being resourceful, resilient and persistent. Train your thoughts so they always default to indestructible optimism. Then you will always face life head on with eyes wide open and brimming with confidence!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

As I sit in this cramped room of my temporary home I am fully aware that there is another, spacious home waiting for me somewhere (see tip#381 for details of my life changes). Thankfully, my past experience with creative visualization and law of attraction keeps me believing that what I want already exists. I just have to FOCUS on it.

Proof of manifesting the reality I wanted came on the opening night screening of Inception. A friend and I chose to see the movie at a theatre outside of Toronto so we left by car 90 minutes before the film start time. Unfortunately it was rush hour with multiple road repairs and a public event causing the traffic we were in.

Every direction we went kept us from leaving the city. I was feeling frustrated and it appeared hopeless exiting the city. That's when I remembered techniques to manifesting the reality I wanted that have worked in the past. I closed my eyes, breathed deeply and visualized sitting comfortably in the theatre waiting for the movie to start. I imagined how good I would feel. My friends and I use a similar technique for getting perfect parking spaces!

About a minute afterwards my friend driving suggested we go back to where we started and take the QEW highway. At that point it was 40 minutes to screen time and I just surrendered to whatever was going to happen. Amazingly once we got to the QEW highway we were moving freely out of the city. We were both surprised at how unusual this was at rush hour. In the end we arrived at the theatre with 15 minutes to spare!

As I sat in the theatre (with perfect centre seats) I was very conscious that this was exactly what I visualized in the car. I altered my reality and this was synchronistically what the movie was about.

The movie Inception explores many concepts of reality and how it manifests for an individual. In the story Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is hired to infiltrate someone's dreams to implant an idea. What you learn is that Cobb has something dark within his subconscious mind that sabotages his goal.

For anyone, the subconscious mind can be filled with destructive thoughts that sabotage our own goals because they've become part of our default behaviour. And though it may take a long time learning to transform these subconscious thoughts creative visualization is an important step forward.

So despite my current accommodations I am focusing on a beautiful, spacious home. I am imagining a bright future and exciting new work experiences with people that I enjoy collaborating with. That's the reality I want.

Picture What You Want

Remember you have the choice to accept or change your reality. All you have to do is FOCUS on the path that you want to follow. Use creative visualization! Picture what you want and imagine how good you feel as if you already have it. There are many roads in front of you right now. Which one will you choose today?

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Ramen: A Japanese dish of noodles in broth, often garnished with small pieces of meat and vegetable

My passion for writing and giving talks on movies that motivate encourages my readers and fans to recommend movies for me to see. One of these films was called The Ramen Girl and featured many scenes that made me crave a taste of ramen soup. Ramen is considered an art form in Japan and by the end of the movie I had to have some!

The presentation looked beautiful with slivers of pork, vegetables and egg floating over a bed of noodles in a hot broth. Researching online, I immediately found a highly recommended ramen restaurant called Kenzo Japanese Noodle House in Toronto and I made it my quest to go there as soon as possible.

I was there within a day with my photographer friend Derek Lang who has taken my amazing head shots over the years (See his portfolio). As he always has his camera Derek documented my heavenly introduction to the ramen experience!

The movie The Ramen Girl is about an American girl named Abby (Brittany Murphy) who is stranded in Japan after her boyfriend suddenly breaks up with her. In her despair she stumbles into a restaurant and has her spirits lifted up by a delicious bowl of ramen. Soon she makes it her quest to learn the art of cooking ramen.

Despite a harsh and difficult mentor Abby perseveres for many grueling months to make her dream come true. The passion for ramen is also featured in another Japanese movie called Tampopo(1985). This is another food lover's movie and one of its main actors (Tsutomu Yamazaki) has a hilarious cameo as the grand master in The Ramen Girl.

The Little Things In Life

It was extremely satisfying to make it my quest to try ramen. The benefits for taking time to find this new cuisine just adds something new in my life to look forward to in the future. I believe it's the little things in life like good foods that make the ups and downs of living worthwhile!

Sometimes movies can be the gateway to new experiences. They can help you visualize the places you want to visit and cultures you'd like to experience. And if you have a passion for food then movies can inspire you to discover tantalizing new taste sensations. Treat yourself now and discover something new, delicious and uplifting for your soul!

SEE SAMPLES OF EMPOWERING ARTICLE TOPICS LIKE
LIFE AND CAREER TRANSITIONS, PASSION AND OPTIMISM
WRITTEN BY EMMANUEL LOPEZ-MOTIVATORMAN: Click here

Sunday, September 12, 2010

After all the intense life changes I've gone through this year (see tip#372) I was looking forward to the Toronto International Film Festival currently under way. In one night I've already been able to taste the electric energy in the air, seen celebrities and discovered something that excites others.

At the Elgin Theatre I attended the gala screening of Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) from India. It was written by first time director Kiran Rao and starred her husband Aamir Khan. When Kiran introduced Aamir onstage the crowd went wild. They cheered for him so long and I had never even heard of the man. Since the fans cheering were predominantly South Asian I loved the realization I was discovering a huge Bollywood superstar.

The movie was amazing and touching. Afterwards my friends and I joined in the crunch of fans and photographers at the entrance of the Elgin Theatre. Squeezed in with other movie lovers and star-gazers we watched the limos bring in Ed Norton, Milla Jovovich and Robert DeNiro for their gala screening called Stone. Though it was exciting I am still thinking about the Mumbai movie.

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) 2010

According to the writer and director, Kiran Rao says this is her love letter to the city of Mumbai. The story is about four people separated by class and language that are drawn together into compelling relationships. Throughout the film you also discover the beauty of Mumbai.

The catalyst for all the relationships is the opening night for artist Arun (Aamir Khan) who meets Shai (Monica Dogra) an investment banker on sabbatical from the US. The sights, sounds and textures of the movie are so rich that I felt like I had been transported to India for an amazing visit.

Warm Interaction On Stage

What was also inspiring to see was the warm interaction on stage between Aamir and his wife Kiran before the film started. This gala event was clearly a dream come true for her and it was heartwarming that her husband passionately produced, starred and shared in her labour of love. Afterwards I would do more research on how successful and popular Aamir was around the world. The evening was a great gift for me.

We live in such a big world filled with so many different interests that excite each of us. Be open to opportunities that come your way that share new ideas, people and cultures. They could inspire you in unexpected ways. And if you hear the ecstatic screaming of fans somewhere just be curious. You may discover something absolutely fantastic!

SEE SAMPLES OF EMPOWERING ARTICLE TOPICS LIKE
LIFE AND CAREER TRANSITIONS, PASSION AND OPTIMISM
WRITTEN BY EMMANUEL LOPEZ-MOTIVATORMAN: Click here

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

It's one thing to be videotaping a major event like I did while being boxed-in (kettled) by G20 riot police in Toronto. It's a whole other level of reality when someone else videotapes YOU videotaping!

That's what I discovered when Rodney Halko posted a fantastic time coded video of footage he found of the G20 Queen and Spadina event online. He split the screen into 4 sections and synchronized different perspectives to a time code at the top of the screen. In one section you will see my footage I had posted (see my video) and then in another frame you'll see me shooting that scene.

See Rodney Halko's video:
a) To see an example go to this link: see video
b) Fast forward to time code at top of screen: 06:11:55
c) Upper left is my footage and lower left you will see me move across the screen

At first it was surreal to see myself from a different perspective and yet it was fascinating and riveting to see me part of the action. People have asked me if I regret being caught in this situation and I truly believe I was meant to be there to document this event. And thanks to Rodney, he has created an historical document so others who were not there can experience the Queen and Spadina event from multiple angles.

In the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione (Emma Watson) get a chance to time travel back to save some lives. In doing so they see themselves from a whole new perspective as they witness events that just occurred earlier.

They discover that certain unexplained situations, like being hit by stones earlier, were actually thrown by their future selves. That action and others they discover were their future selves helping their past selves. This is what I love about time travel movies, they allow you to see the characters witness themselves from different perspectives and make changes that affect their lives for the better.

Whenever you feel stuck in your life or career remember the benefits of stepping outside of your situation. You have the ability to make positive changes if you stop and see your problems from a different perspective. Just like video cameras that can record multiple angles of an event, a new vantage point can reveal the solutions you've been looking for.

HELLO! I'M SEEKING NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES AROUND THE WORLD
TO WRITE EMPOWERING ARTICLES ON MOVIES THAT MOTIVATE!
If you have any contacts or recommendations please let me know!
See online article samples: Click here

Sunday, September 05, 2010

In early March of 2010 I was suddenly faced with a door that was frightening, painful and overwhelming. It led to the unknown of a new life experience and I found the courage to walk through. Little did I know that I would have to go through even more doors of intense change and crisis throughout the spring and summer (See previous tips during this time for details).

What was extremely comforting to experience was that friends, family, colleagues and even strangers would be at every door to help me through. Synchronistically in March I had seen one movie that prepared me for this journey. That film was Temple Grandin. It is an HBO TV movie and I felt compelled to write about it only when the DVD was released so it would be available for readers of this blog to see.

The recent DVD release coincides with the movie winning 5 Emmy awards. This is the first made for TV movie that is on my list of favourite films because it re-energized me on so many levels. It was deeply inspiring and I believe the movie hero helped condition my mindset to persevere throughout all my adversities.

The movie Temple Grandin is a biopic of an autistic woman named Temple Grandin (Claire Danes) who revolutionizes practices for the humane handling of livestock on cattle ranches and slaughterhouses. Through amazing visual effects you can experience how Temple sees the world and is able to creatively visualize solutions. For example in her teens she creates a more effective swinging door at the car entrance of her aunt's farm. In her college years Temple would build a contraption she calls the "squeeze machine" that helps calm her down like a hug.

“My name is Temple Grandin. I'm not like other people. I think in pictures and I connect them.”

You will also see Temple's unwavering persistence, perseverance and resilience when faced with people who blocked her dreams and goals. And even when she was filled with fear when she encountered sliding doors at a grocery store, Temple recognizes the idea that there will always be someone there to help her through.

Looking back at when I first saw this movie I now know in my heart that there will always be someone there to help at every frightening door I encounter. Temple, the movie hero, inspired me to remember this!

If you find yourself in front of your own dark doors to the unknown, believe that you too will have the support you need to walk through. Believe that you are suppose to leave chapters in your life that are meant to end. Believe that there are new and exciting experiences waiting for you despite whatever negatives you currently see. Walk through that door and the world will be cheering you on!

I'M SEEKING NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES AROUND THE WORLD
TO WRITE EMPOWERING ARTICLES ON MOVIES THAT MOTIVATE!
If you have any contacts or recommendations please let me know!
See online article samples: Click here

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Continuing my story from part 9 of my G20 Toronto experience at Queen and Spadina on June 27th, I was just released from the G20 detention centre (see tip#382). I was given a ride home by one of the many Toronto citizens volunteering their kindness to the detainees.

I arrived home just north of Queen and Spadina around midnight. This very long night had lasted 6 hours. Though still damp from being held in the rain earlier by the police the first thing I did was review the footage I took of the riot police. Throughout this whole ordeal this video felt extremely important and was relieved my camera and footage was intact. I posted the video on Youtube as soon as I could. See video

My gut was telling me that documenting this event was vital. My video and my personal experience were somehow necessary. I knew I was going to blog about my G20 experience and my intentions allowed me to connect with other like-minded detainees who soon posted their own stories online.

1) Michael Talbot, CityTV News Photographer
Michael and I connected via the G20 Facebook groups that immediately formed online. He pointed out that he is visible in my video. Through Facebook we shared links to each of our blog posts. See his photos and story: Click here

2) Dylan Leeder, Photographer
I sat next to Dylan on the police bus and he is the one I blogged about that referred to the horror of the caged people in the detention centre as a scene from the movie Children of Men. See his photos and story: Click here

3) Sherry B. Good, Representative Plaintiff, Class Action Lawsuit
Sherry and I connected via a G20 Facebook group and she shared her compelling story via a word document and is now available online. She is now acting as the representative plaintiff for more than 800 people who claim they were wrongfully arrested during the G20 weekend in Toronto. Read her story: Click here

Avatar Special Edition 2010

James Cameron's movie Avatar was a technological breakthrough in visual storytelling. It told the tale of a paraplegic former Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who is recruited to learn more about an alien race called the Na’vi on their home planet Pandora.

At the heart of movie's narrative is Sully documenting his entire, mind-blowing experience on video. In doing so Sully is recording events so others may somehow benefit and learn from. This storytelling device also allows the audience to follow in his first hand encounters as if we are part of the story.

As for the 9 extra minutes Cameron has added to this special edition only fans who have seen the original version several times may notice. The new footage is spread out throughout the film and some of it does add to the storyline as well as add more amazing visuals. Cameron is already planning another DVD release with a total of 16 extra minutes of footage! Here is a list of notable new footage: Click here

Be a Conscious Storyteller

This blog has become part of my heart and soul for over 3 years. It has become my passion to document my life and career challenges here in my hometown of Toronto. And if my video and blog articles on my G20 experience can somehow help or inspire others then it was worth the ordeal I endured that night in June.

In our lives and careers we are all storytellers. We are already documenting who we are and what we believe in through our words and actions. And if you are compelled to write, record, photograph or videotape any event, know that you are documenting history for the benefit of others.

Be a conscious storyteller in your life. Be more aware that your point of view has value. There are people out there who want to hear your story!

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About Me

Emmanuel Lopez aka Motivatorman is a Motivational Speaker and an award-winning Blogger & Illustrator working with organizations to inspire RESILIENCE & INDESTRUCTIBLE OPTIMISM for DEPRESSION, MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS through the power of movies. He has been featured in The NEW YORK TIMES, The WASHINGTON POST and The GLOBE & MAIL.
Speaker Clients: TD Canada Trust, Investors Group, The Art Institute of Boston and Royal Ontario Museum.
For info on speaker bookings see: www.motivatorman.com